http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/hit-squads-stalk-taliban-leadership-in-afghanistan/story-e6frg6so-1225827601872
Hit squads stalk Taliban leadership in Afghanistan Marie Colvin From: The Australian February 08, 2010 12:00AM US and British troops poised to assault the Taliban stronghold of Marjah have begun targeting insurgent leaders for assassination. Military sources said special forces had been infiltrating the town on "kinetic" missions - jargon for armed attacks. "Special forces guys have been going in on assassination missions with the aim of decapitating the Taliban force," one said. At the British base of Camp Bastion and the adjoining Camp Leatherneck, the US marine base, troops and munitions have been airlifted in by night to avoid enemy rockets. It is clear that international forces are on the brink of a big battle. In a break from traditional military secrecy, US, British and Afghan commanders have announced that Marjah, the last town in Helmand under Taliban control, will be attacked. Operation Moshtarak (Together) will be by far the largest offensive since General Stanley McChrystal, US commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, instigated his counter-insurgency strategy, backed by the White House's 30,000-troop "surge". About 1000 Taliban, mostly Afghans but with some foreign fighters, are believed to be in Marjah, an opium centre and local headquarters for bomb-making and sending out suicide bombers. Military sources said the publicity was a psychological tactic to intimidate the Taliban into laying down weapons or fleeing. The risks are huge. By surrendering the element of surprise, the coalition has given the insurgents time to dig in and expand an extensive tunnel network. Taliban diehards are known to have been placing bombs along alleyways, roads and irrigation canals. Taliban commander Said Mawlawi Abdul Ghafar, 38, vowed he would never lay down his arms. "We've got experts and brave fighters who have fought and killed the infidels," said the commander of 120 fighters in what he called the "first battle circle". According to General McChrystal's strategy, clearing the Taliban from strongholds such as Marjah is only the first step towards "clear, hold and build". In the past, NATO would clear Taliban fighters from towns, but without sufficient troops to remain and secure it. The Taliban simply seized back control. It was deeply dispiriting to troops who paid a high price in deaths and injuries, and it instilled scepticism in ordinary Afghans. "For now, the local population is sitting on the fence," said Frank Ruggiero, the senior US civilian representative in southern Afghanistan, who has hundreds of millions of dollars at his disposal. The money is to make Afghanistan stable enough for it to begin to withdraw troops next year. "They've seen us come and make promises before, and then (we) leave," he said. "They're not coming down off that fence until they are sure that they are secure, that a local policeman is going to be at his post in the morning and that the Taliban are not coming back." The Sunday Times [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
